It is well known to utilize filters to remove contaminants from fluids. By way of example, fuel filter assemblies are used to filter fuel for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle. Filter assemblies typically comprise a sideways, upwardly or downwardly mounted canister having a porous filter media enclosed in the canister. For example, it is known to use porous filter media fabricated from paper, as well as porous filter media fabricated from cardboard. The liquid enters and fills or partially fills the canister so that all or a portion of the filter media is doused with the liquid as it passes through the filter media and exits the canister. As the liquid passes through the filter media, contaminants are retained by the filter media and thus removed from the fluid.
Since filtration is accomplished by passing the fluid from one side of the filter media to the opposite side of the filter media, the rate at which the filter is able to process a fluid is dictated by the surface area of the filter media and the porosity of the filter media. Thus, in order to maximize the processing capacity of a filter element having a particular porosity, various designs have been previously proposed that attempt to increase the surface area of the filter media by way of particular geometric configurations of the filter media, without increasing the overall size of the filter canister. However, since the filter media is typically fabricated from a porous material such as paper or cardboard, structure must be provided within the filter element to retain the filter media in a particular geometric configuration. These structures often impede fluid flow and are typically either difficult or labor-intensive to fabricate. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a structure that supported a filter media in a particular geometric configuration that did not impede fluid flow and was not difficult or labor-intensive to fabricate.